FEEDBACK PLEASE!!

What do you think about this blog? Please feel free to post any ideas or thoughts about how it looks or anything that you think should be added or taken out. Do you like the colors? How easy or difficult was it to use this form of multimedia? Would you tell your friends about it? Any feedback that you may choose to post will only help me to improve the blog and make it more user friendly.

Medication administration is complicated!

While we all know that nursing practice is so much more that just medication administration, it still remains a complex activity that requires a sound knowledge base, competent math skills, ample diligence, and appropriate critical thinking skills. There are so many things to consider when giving medications. Is it the right drug? Is it the right dose? Is it the right patient? Is it the right time? Is it the right route? Is the reason for the drug appropriate for the patient's condition/status? Is there documented orders for the drug? Does the patient have any drug allergies? Being able to read the doctor's medication orders and understand the reasoning behind them is an added challenge. There is plenty to be anxious or nervous about when giving medications to a patient. Despite the fact that ongoing research is producing new drugs and new ways to give them, repetition and experience will help the nurse gain confidence and competency with this skill. What do you find most challenging about giving medications? What kinds of strategies or support systems help you to give medications safely? What kind of advice would you give to a new graduate nurse to help her or him feel less tense about this skill?

What is collaboration?

We have all heard this word before in a variety of different contexts and situations but what does collaboration really mean? It means different things to different people. To some, it means sharing the workload. To others, it may mean being in the same workspace for a period of time. Some may even conceptualize it as the ability to pool resources and strengths to work towards a common goal or vision through positive communication and constructive relationships. While many talk about collaboration in the world of business and health care, few understand its true complexity or the tools necessary to make it happen. Even existing literature that explore this concept are unsure how to define it but do offer many examples of the end result of collaboration. What do you think collaboration is? What does it mean to you? How do you think it fits into nursing practice? Below is an interesting article that give some ideas as to how to put collaboration into practice. If you have any thoughts about this article, please feel free to submit your feedback.
http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic26/tpc26_1.htm

WELCOME - PLEASE READ FIRST!

Welcome to the "Working Together in Collaboration" Blog! This blog is dedicated to exploring various topics regarding the collaboration between Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) at Langley Memorial Hospital (LMH) such as patient care, care delivery, nursing practice, teamwork, responsibilities, and appropriate utilization of all health care professionals. This medium will provide an opportunity for nurses at LMH to exchange ideas and thoughts, to promote ongoing learning, and to recognize the commitment of all nurses to safe patient care as well as to the excellence of nursing as a profession. By giving LMH nurses a voice, increasing awareness, and promoting inquiry in this way, it is hoped that this will be the beginning of change and growth, no matter how small or insignificant. Please feel free to click on "comment" under any posts to submit any ideas or thoughts you may have (if you wish to remain anonymous, don't forget to click on "anonymous" before you click on "publish your comment").